Kitchen Light Fixtures: 13 Brilliant Ideas to Illuminate Your Cook-Space
Designers often say lighting is the jewelry of the home—but in a cooking space, kitchen light fixtures are more like the salt in a dish. They’re a vital addition that enlivens the flavor (and illuminates your whole experience to boot)—as long as you don’t use too much. Thankfully design pros have curated a bountiful buffet of kitchen lighting options. “These days, we’re seeing such incredible new designs that act as pieces of art in the space,” says Chicago designer Devon Wegman. “Gone are the days of traditional candelabras—now it’s all about sculptural, intricate fixtures that make a statement.” One upcoming trend, adds Dallas designer Ginger Curtis of Urbanology Designs, is that “designers will look to really play with scale with both under and oversized lights to add either drama or artistic flair.” Just remember that in a room where you’ll be slicing and dicing, functionality is key. Ensure adequate lighting by including a variety of kitchen light fixture sources, including overhead, sconce, downlights, and more. And don’t forget to add a little spice, like the designers behind these kitchens.
Photo: Tim Cooper for deVOL Kitchens1/13Add a pop of red
If a cherry pie in the height of July were reincarnated as a pendant kitchen light fixture, it might look something like this one from British cult design brand deVOL. “Our new and impossibly pretty cranberry glass pendant has been a labor of love: It turns out this jewel-like colored glass is not easy to come by which explains its desirability and high price, both in Victorian times and today,” says Helen Parker, deVOL’s creative director. “The gold reacts with the glass during firing to create this very specific cranberry color. The first firing releases the color, then it is laid over a handmade steel frame and re-fired, allowing it to slump into a delightfully delicate swirl of frills.”
Photo: Molly Culver2/13Go for natural minimalism
“The choices I made [in this kitchen] were to enhance the minimal natural look,” says designer Mary Patton of this cook-space, where she installed downlight wall sconces in a white that appears to camouflage against the walls. “The space has beautiful natural lighting, which helps.”
Photo: Björn Wallander3/13Keep it simple
When your kitchen overlooks the salty sea, you don’t want anything to distract from the panoramic views out the windows. To that end, designer Muriel Brandolini kept the cook-space lighting in her Hamptons beach house simple and joyful. The industrial yet modern pendants by Twentytwentyone are candy-hued, and pop against the wood veneer and concrete counters.
Photo: Round Three Photography4/13Incorporate soft hues
“This mauve tone acts as a neutral here—in a similar tonal value to the surrounding birch cabinets, but it jumps out just enough,” says Meghan Kell, AIA, owner and lead architect of Kell Architects. “We were looking for soft, medium tones of color that didn’t scream for attention, but all worked together. We didn’t want the lighting to contrast but rather play well with all the elements of woodwork, tile and counters.” Mission accomplished.
Photo: deVOL Kitchens5/13Elongate and illuminate
A lengthy kitchen light fixture serves to illuminate an entire workspace, such as an island countertop—handy whether you’re potting plants or whipping up a flurry of cookies. This piece from deVOL emits a captivating glow, Parker says. “The aged brass frame is rigid and can be ordered in three sizes to ensure the height is correct for your requirements,” she says. “We recommend keeping your gaselier as low as you can to fully benefit from its beauty and ethereal light.”
Photo: Round Three Photography6/13Invest in different light sources
This trio of pendants “help anchor island seating,” says Mike Bader, AIA, owner and principal architect for Fuse57. Bader notes that it’s also vital to consider task lighting on your other counters, which can be integrated into upper cabinets (think LED tape lighting) or through recessed LED cans. And this is the one area of life where it pays to be dim. “Switches with dimmers to control light levels and matching color temperatures of the different light sources are equally important,” he says.
Photo: Pieter Estersohn7/13Mirror the surrounding decor
Don’t call this copper fixture garden variety. The lantern-inspired light in architect Jim Joseph and composer Scott Frankel’s upstate New York home feels like an age-old find that echoes the glazed cabinets fashioned from antique windows and Federal drop-leaf breakfast table.
Photo: Pieter Estersohn8/13Try big and bold fixtures
David Netto and architect David Hottenroth went bold in this Southampton, New York, retreat, with pendant lights by Schoolhouse. In a high-gloss inky black, they’re the perfect foil for the pure cloud white hue of the island.
Photo: Scott Frances9/13Create contrasts
With all the effervescence of champagne bubbles, this pendant light fixture by ET2 Contemporary Lighting sets a joyful tone in this North Carolina home by architecture firm Gluck+. Bonus: The kitchen light fixture also supplies a needed softness against the black walnut veneer cabinetry and a copper backsplash.
Photo: deVOL Kitchens10/13Think in pairs
Angolphiles will want to take note of this charming wall sconce option. “Inspired by the kitchens of stately homes, this task light is placed high up on the wall where it casts a wide pool of light over a big area of work surface,” Parker says. “If you have high ceilings and like something that casts plenty of light and has real character, the task light is just perfect. We love to see them in twos, perhaps on either side of large shuttered windows, creating balance and scale.”
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Photo: Life Created11/13Or harmonious multiples
Sometimes, more is merrier when it comes to kitchen pendants. In the simplest terms, installing more fixtures means you’ll have more light. “We love adorning the kitchen island with two to three pendants that infuse a harmonious vibe into the space,” says designer Lauren Lerner of Scottsdale, Arizona. “We carefully select ones that add captivating texture, enhancing the area’s charm and allure.” Lerner’s rule of thumb: Ensure there is about 20 to 30" between each fixture.
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Photo: Life Created12/13Look to the outdoor section
“These black pendants are actually outdoor pendants, but that didn’t stop us from using them in this kitchen,” says Lerner. Not only does her sculptural choice echo the cabinets, but the duo provides an unexpected and ethereal glow after dark.
Photo: Laura Resen13/13Get retro
A kitchen light fixture inspired by billiard lights (designed by Thomas O’Brien for Aero) has a throwback aesthetic that’s a nice juxtaposition against the comparatively streamlined oak cabinetry in this Hamptons cook-space by Deborah Perke and O’Brien.
